VOA慢速英语--抗议“性别化”,德国女子体操队员穿长裤出战奥运会

The clothes that the German women's gymnastics team wore during the start of Olympic competition in Tokyo looked similar to the others. The lights shined off crystals² across their front and down their arms. But the team's new Olympic clothing did not stop at their hips³.

For years, female⁴ gymnasts have worn leotards: clothing that covers the body except for the legs. But in the opening round of Olympic competition, the German team wore unitards. This kind of clothing covers the whole body, including the legs.

Team members have said their choice was meant to push back against the sexualization of women in gymnastics.

Male gymnasts wear clothes that cover more of their body. They wear loose shorts for their floor exercise and vault⁶, and long pants on the bar events and pommel horse.

The German women's team first wore unitards at the European Artistic⁷ Gymnastics Championships in April.

Sarah Voss is a 21-year-old German team member. She said the team was not sure whether they would wear unitards in the Olympic competition until they got together before the event.

"We sat together today and said, OK, we want to have a big competition," Voss said. "We want to feel amazing, we want to show everyone that we look amazing."

Their clothing choice has been widely praised. But so far it has not started a trend. All other female gymnasts at the Tokyo Games have chosen to wear the usual leotards.

American superstar Simone Biles said last month that she chooses to wear leotards because they make her appear taller.

But she added: "If anyone out there wants to wear a unitard or leotard, it's totally up to you."

Matt Cowan is with GK Elite⁸, the United States' biggest leotard manufacturer⁹. He said most requests for unitards come from countries where women cover up their bodies for cultural and religious reasons. He said the company has so far not seen a major rise in interest in the unitards.

Gymnastics is sometimes considered a sport best performed by young women. Biles is 24 years old. She often jokes about being old. She recently called herself a grandma on social media.

But many teams at this year's Olympics have older members. The average age of the U.S. female gymnasts this year is 20.8.

The oldest gymnast this year is Uzbekistan's Oksana Chusovitina, who is 46. She is taking part in her eighth Olympic Games.

The German team includes three women in their 20s and one in their 30s. German gymnast Voss said the sport and its clothing should be accepting of female bodies as they age and change.

The German team's Olympic unitards met the clothing rules of the International Gymnastics Federation¹⁰. But not all female athletes are as free to cover their bodies.

Days before the Olympics began, the Norwegian women's beach handball team refused to play wearing very small, bikini, shorts during European competitions. They chose to wear close-fitting shorts instead. They received a fine for violating¹¹ the sport's clothing requirements.

Words in This Story

sexualization - n. the act of seeing someone or something in sexual⁵ terms

gymnastics –n. a sport in which athletes are judged on how well they perform different physical exercises on a floor mat or on special equipment

crystal¹ –n. a small piece of glass that catches light and is shiny

vault –n. a sports event involving jumping over a pole or special piece of equipment

amazing –adj. causing great surprise or wonder

trend –n. a general direction of change; something that is currently¹² popular

athlete –n. a person who is trained in a sport, game or exercises that require physical skill and strength

1 crystal   

n.水晶，水晶饰品，结晶体；最好的玻璃器皿

参考例句：

• It used to be a crystal stream.那曾是条清澈见底的小溪。
• Those fine wine glasses are made of crystal.那些漂亮的酒杯是用水晶做的。

2 crystals   

n.水晶( crystal的名词复数 )；结晶（体）

参考例句：

• It is snow and ice crystals. 这是雪和冰的结晶体。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Snowflakes are loose aggregates of ice crystals. 雪花是冰晶的松散凝结。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 hips   

abbr.high impact polystyrene 高冲击强度聚苯乙烯，耐冲性聚苯乙烯n.臀部( hip的名词复数 )；[建筑学]屋脊；臀围（尺寸）；臀部…的

参考例句：

• She stood with her hands on her hips. 她双手叉腰站着。
• They wiggled their hips to the sound of pop music. 他们随着流行音乐的声音摇晃着臀部。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 female   

adj.雌的，女(性)的；n.雌性的动物，女子

参考例句：

• We only employ female workers.我们只雇用女工。
• The animal in the picture was a female elephant.照片上的动物是头母象。

5 sexual   

adj.性的，两性的，性别的

参考例句：

• He was a person of gross sexual appetites.他是个性欲旺盛的人。
• It is socially irresponsible to refuse young people advice on sexual matters.拒绝向年轻人提供性方面的建议是对社会不负责任。

6 vault   

n.拱形圆顶，地窖，地下室

参考例句：

• The vault of this cathedral is very high.这座天主教堂的拱顶非常高。
• The old patrician was buried in the family vault.这位老贵族埋在家族的墓地里。

7 artistic   

adj.艺术(家)的，美术(家)的；善于艺术创作的

参考例句：

• The picture on this screen is a good artistic work.这屏风上的画是件很好的艺术品。
• These artistic handicrafts are very popular with foreign friends.外国朋友很喜欢这些美术工艺品。

8 elite   

n.精英阶层；实力集团；adj.杰出的，卓越的

参考例句：

• The power elite inside the government is controlling foreign policy.政府内部的一群握有实权的精英控制着对外政策。
• We have a political elite in this country.我们国家有一群政治精英。

9 manufacturer   

n.生产厂商，制造公司，厂主

参考例句：

• A manufacturer can amplify the demand of a product by advertising widely.厂商能用大做广告的方法来扩大人们对产品的需求。
• Prices are laid down by the manufacturer.价格是由厂商制定的。

10 federation   

n.同盟，联邦，联合，联盟，联合会

参考例句：

• It is a federation of 10 regional unions.它是由十个地方工会结合成的联合会。
• Mr.Putin was inaugurated as the President of the Russian Federation.普京正式就任俄罗斯联邦总统。

11 violating   

亵渎( violate的现在分词 )； 违反； 侵犯； 强奸

参考例句：

• Ignorance of a law does not excuse a man for violating it. 一个人不懂法律不构成犯法的理由。
• It was sued by the U.S. federal government for violating antitrust law. 它被美国联邦政府指控违反了反托拉斯法。

12 currently   

adv.通常地，普遍地，当前

参考例句：

• Currently it is not possible to reconcile this conflicting evidence.当前还未有可能去解释这一矛盾的例证。
• Our contracts are currently under review.我们的合同正在复查。